Democrats and Bernie Sanders renew calls for US datacenter moratoriums

Following the US midterm elections, Senator Bernie Sanders and several newly elected Democrats have renewed demands for a national moratorium on datacenters. The recent Democratic success, partially driven by public opposition to the tech sector, has increased pressure to decelerate the expansion of these facilities.

Senator Sanders utilised the social media platform X on Wednesday to advocate for an immediate halt to datacenter construction. He stated, “Americans don’t want Big Tech oligarchs wrecking the environment, gutting jobs and threatening humanity’s future.”

Among those supporting the call is Representative Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, where Elon Musk’s SpaceX has proposed a project covering over 700 acres. Ansari posted on X that the Democratic agenda must prioritise a pause on advanced AI development, regulation of the industry, and a ban on artificial superintelligence. Following an exchange with Musk, she suggested congressional hearings were imminent, telling the centi-billionaire: “See you soon.”

The expansion of datacenters, which are essential for AI products, emerged as a prominent issue during the midterms, with voters approving numerous local measures to restrict developments. Meta platforms president Dina Powell McCormick informed the Wall Street Journal that the election outcome suggests future construction will be “going to be harder.” Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who contributed nearly half a billion dollars to Republican candidates, remarked on election night that “datacenters in space looking pretty appealing right now.”

Market anxiety regarding potential regulations led to a significant selloff of AI stocks this week. Conversely, White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told CNBC he remains confident that construction will proceed, claiming that most ballot initiatives will not impact current projects.

Democratic victory speeches frequently highlighted opposition to Big Tech and datacenters. Senator-elect Chris Pappas in New Hampshire commended his constituents for resisting facilities that impact their communities, while New Mexico congressman Gabe Vasquez stated it is time to stop the “AI billionaire class” from forcing projects into local areas. Ohio Senator-elect Sherrod Brown also addressed the issue, telling supporters, “I do not work for data centers. I work for you. I work for Ohio.”

Incoming governors in key states, including Texas and Georgia, have also requested pauses on development. Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa told CNN that the state requires new protections, stating: “There are no rules and laws to protect Texans, and Texans are being taken advantage of. We need to stop what we are doing with data centers until we have those protections.”